Two candidates in runoff for vacant House seat

EAST MISSISSIPPI — Two candidates have advanced to an April 2nd runoff following a special election to fill a seat in the Mississippi House.

WTVA-TV was reporting late yesterday that with all 18 precincts reporting, unofficial results show Karl Gibbs received the most votes, with 28 percent, followed by Eddie Longstreet and Jeannie Johnson Staten, who each got 22 percent.

If the results stand, the news station reports Gibbs and Longstreet would face each other in the runoff.

Six candidates were running in the special election to fill a seat in House District 36, which encompasses parts of Clay, Lowndes and Monroe counties. The seat was left vacant by the Jan. 13 death of Democratic Rep. David Gibbs, who had served since 1993.

Candidates in special elections run without party labels.

The winner will serve through the current four-year term, which ends in January 2016.